?depression and reregistration

[catz]

long storey first

i have been qualified 3years just about n my reg is due for renewal. i have spent most of the last 18mths off sick with stress and depression. my employers are now firing me on grounds of illhealth since i cannot give them a date for my return to work.

during the time i have been of i have been treated as an inpatient on a psychiatric unit. i was discharged without a diagnosis of any formal mental illness. from the psychiatrists point of view i could go straight back to work. however this is not possible and my gp is continuing to sign me of sick n treat me for anxiety, stress and depression. (however i suspect that if i end up in the psychiatric system again i will not be so lucky as to escape recieving a label of some sort)

i still cannot cope with going nywere crowded or shopping except when it is very quiet and there are no queues. i have a way to go yet before i can consider returning to work as a staff nurse on a busy paediatric ward.

my question....will this affect my reregistration when it is due? i do fulfil the prep requirements and the hours worked in past 5 years requirements. but i am aware of the recomendations from the clothier report after bev. allitt. (and there is another nurse in the news atm bringing it all into focus again). i do not now, never have had and never will have munchausens or munchausens by proxy but i am aware that it is possible i will be likened to her since i have had a mental health problem.

not sure if this makes sense really but ny suggestions advice reassurance would be would be appreciated. thanks

catz

[zarozinia68]

Hi Catz, Im so sorry to hear about youre problems. Yes, there are a lot of nurses out there who have or do suffer from depression.

I was once diagnosed with depression and felt as if I was going mad. My gp gave me antidepressents which just made me feel like I was on another planet. After numerous visits to my gp I decided that I would not follow his advice of increasing my medication every few weeks. I ditched the tablets, I left my job and went to work somewhere less demanding whilst I sorted myself out. I felt this was better for me than being off work sick.

I asked for a referal to a psychiatrist and ended up seeing 2 psychologists, who told me the symptoms I was experiencing where all as a result of life events which had occurred( (bereavements& family problems), this in a way made me feel a little better, sort of relieved that I wasnt going mad.It took me three months to start feeling better, but Im sure the break from nursing helped. I returned to nursing on nightshifts for a year then slowly worked back to dayshifts.

It was a frightenning experience. But I do believe this experience has made me a better nurse. I now know the importance of being listenned too.

I am not telling you to stop taking youre medication as you have youre own unique life experiences which have brought you too this point in youre life, that was just the right thing for me to do and I had good family support. But I do think you could benefit from talking to someone, maybe a CPN to help you find the right way forward for you. Let me know how things go.:)

[Ammy]

Hi, remember one thing, whatever was said to the Occupational Health, was just hearsay and gossip and we all know about that. Your confidence has taken a dive. If you cannot prove that how you have been treated has contributed to ill-health, then the Employer has no case to answer (Tribunal) Ask your doctor what you should do. He (or she) may say resign due to ill-health. Which means, that when you are ready, and pass a medical, you can reapply following your illness. You will be more confident when you get through this difficult time......but you will.........and believe me, you feel more differently about things. Im sure you will not forget the way you have been treated, but will not allow it to happen again. In the meantime, be gentle with yourself, look for some other challenges, ambitions, that you want to achieve, and goodlluck. Thats what I did, and am back in the driving seat. Also if you send a letter of resignation, reluctantly due to ill-health, you should get a letter back, stating that when you are ready to return, to re-apply. (Keep this letter safe) You could then look to another department ect, and anyway a lot of people move on, but it would take the pressure off, and mean you taking the pressure off yourself, especially, if your GP is supporting you, with good advice..........

[catz]

thanks for the replies. think i am going to be resigning soon though occy health say hang fire n wait. they want a report from the psydoc i was discharged by and they now no about the self injury summmat i hadnt told them. oh well. ive also been referred back to the psydoc by my gp who is thinking along the lines of a bipolar type 2 diagnosis so i guess my career is gone nyway.